By Peter Marshall

The governing body insists that the competition will be held in Qatar in 2022 but cannot yet confirm whether it will move it from summer to winter to combat the heat.

FIFA has confirmed that it has "no doubt" the 2022 World Cup will be held in Qatar, although it has yet to reach a decision as to whether the competition will be staged in winter or summer.

It had been suggested that the governing body could move the competition to the winter due to the soaring temperatures in the region during the traditional staging dates. The FIFA Executive Committee convened in Switzerland to discuss the matter on Thursday.

"No doubt," spokesman Walter De Grigorio said when asked if the World Cup is set to be played in the Gulf nation. "What is open to question is if we play in winter, and if so is it November, December, January? I don't know. But there is no doubt we will play in Qatar."

The World Cup was awarded to Qatar over the likes of the USA and Australia, with hosting rights for the 2018 tournament being given to Russia.